Townsville City Council and Emergency Management Queensland staff will be at the Horseshoe Bay market on Sunday November 27 to help locals prepare for cyclone season.

The event will enable residents the opportunity to seek advice, practical information and expert knowledge to increase cyclone readiness and awareness.Townsville Local Disaster Management Group deputy chairman Cr Dale Last urged residents, particularly new arrivals, to visit the stall between 9am and 2pm.

“While Townsville was lucky to miss the full effects of Cyclone Yasi, it was a major wake up call for the city that we need to be ready at all times,” Cr Last said.

“I was extremely impressed with how residents responded and followed advice and I think this will help reinforce that basic message in people’s minds: be prepared.”

Members of the Magnetic Island Disaster Management Group, led by Sergeant Kerry Kraut, have already met in the lead up to the official start of the cyclone season on November 1, to ensure policies and procedures for responding to an emergency are up to date.

The group consists of local Police, Ambulance and Fire Service representatives as well as SES and Townsville City Council staff. It extends to local medical and associated support services.

Information on how to prepare and what to do in the event of a cyclone is available by following the links on the council’s website www.townsville.qld.gov.au and the EMQ website www.emergency.qld.gov.au/emq/.

To add your comment, or read those of others, see below

Magnetic Island residents: Are you cyclone ready?

2 comments

ella

November 23rd 2011

i read once their is no where on the island that is deemed stable enough to be used as a evacuation center if something really big hit is this true?

chasmac

November 29th 2011

ella, there is no building on Magnetic Island (and probably Townsville) that is guaranteed to be cyclone-proof and able to hold several hundred people. If there was a severe storm surge or if "something really big hit" and several hundred people had to leave their homes, they would probably be put up in the nearest available substantial building still with a roof on it. That might be the Council shed or a pub or, here's an irony, the new Julia Gillard school hall.